pkmn RBY
by Lillian Amour
Summary: [AU] On the release day of the Pokémon VRMMORPG, players on the Overgrowth server found themselves unable to log out after a freak accident. As the truth comes out, it becomes apparent that The Cinnabar Incident was intentional, leading to ramifications in real life. Based on Gen I. OCs. New chapters every Monday!
1. Prologue

**pkmn RBY :: prologue :: amour**

Following the invention of the Cerebellum, Pokémon was the first of many games to be released with fulldive technology, allowing players to immerse all of their physical senses in virtual reality. Simplicity was its design; Cerebellum was a streamlined helmet with built-in memory, wireless connectivity, and brainwave transmitters. A thin wire extends from its right side, so the console can be charged after or during gameplay.

The transmitters built-in to the Cerebellum were interesting. In layman's terms, they allowed the console to redirect brain signals and create some of its own to stimulate the player's senses. If anyone saw a player in the real world, without knowing the basics of the Cerebellum, they would just assume the player is asleep

During the first log in on the Cerebellum, the console itself had to be calibrated for the player. While wearing the Cerebellum, the player had to attach electrodes to various parts of the body that measured height, girth, and other qualities in order to proper replicate physical senses. For a VRMMORPG, the downside of the system meant that a player's avatar would always bear an uncanny resemblance to them, even if other customization options were available.

Kanto, the setting of the new Pokémon game, was a country surrounded by water and rock. Within its mountainous borders, there were grasslands, forests, and cities; as well as tiny islands dotting the ocean. In these environments live creatures called pokémon, short for pocket monsters. The game itself has no objection; trainers could befriend or battle the creatures or even just live a second life in this virtual world. At the time, I could not fathom how literal the game's promises would turn out to be.

* * *

Magenta eyes fluttered open, unveiling the sprawling world before me. New players, like myself, were first logged into Kanto on the outside of a prominent, two-story building atop a steep hill. Cement stairs, lined with cherry blossoms, lead down to the beginning area of Pallet Town. It was a small village with brick-paved roads where trainers usually met to form parties or complete minor fetch quests before setting out to explore the open world. From where I stood, I could even see the glittering bay at the South of Pallet Town, promising adventure for experienced trainers who would someday return to their roots.

I stretched my arms overhead, relishing the sensation of muscle elasticity and the warmth of sunlight on my skin. Despite knowing the game would feel real, it was entirely different to experience it. I held this pose for a few seconds, flexing my fingers and grinning wildly at the prospect of being in a new world, before allowing my arms to relax with a sigh of relief. Without wasting another second, I turned on my heel and walked into Oak Research Laboratory to acquire my first pokémon.

A silver bell chimed as I opened the door into the vestibule. The cream-colored walls were mostly lined with mahogany bookshelves with the exception of left side, where another trainer sat on a leather couch with his feet propped up on a glass top coffee table and a booklet in hand. Like me, he had chosen the all-black default outfit, but had burnt orange hair shaved on the sides and a chest-long beard to match. I eyed him curiously, debating whether to introduce myself or not, before deciding to take the plunge.

"Hi, I'm Amour," I chirped, as I sat down beside him, "What are you reading?"

The unnamed trainer glanced up momentarily, before angling the pages towards me. Pictures of five pokémon were shown with brief descriptions written beside them.

"I'm reading up on the pokémon we can choose," he said, "The main three are Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander; but during the first month of release, we can also choose between Pikachu and Eevee."

I leaned in closer, so I could get a better look. Immediately, the photo of a blue, bipedal turtle with a curled-in tail caught my eye.

"I think I like Squirtle!," I exclaimed as I pointed at it, "I've always been fond of turtles. Plus, the blurb says that it can be used to travel across bodies of water in its final evolution."

The man beside me smiled and pointed to the orange, bipedal dinosaur with a flame-tipped tail.

"I'm going to go with Charmander. He looks like a little bad ass. He's a water type, so he could help with cooking or...," the man grinned sheepishly, "lighting cigarettes. Think they have those here?"

I giggled and looked down, avoiding his smile for reasons I could not yet explain. "I mean, maybe? I doubt it, though."

There was a pause between us, before the unnamed trainer hopped up and adjusted his clothing. He tucked his hands into his black jean pockets and began to exit the vestibule, before looking over his shoulder and gesturing for me with his chin.

"By the name, the name's Scum. I'm about to adopt Charmander, but, uh...," he stammered as he pulled his right hand from his pocket and pointed at me. A small menu opened up in front of him and he selected one of two options. "Here's a friend request. I don't have anyone to play with and... well, unless you're waiting on someone, it could be fun to party up for a minute. My friends would never let me live it down if they knew I bought this game."

A transparent, two-dimensional box appeared before me, displaying "New Friend Request: Scum. Accept or Decline." I grinned and pressed accept, before following him into the laboratory.

* * *

It was twilight when we left the laboratory. Professor Oak - a gray-haired man who looked to be in his older forties - not only gave us our pokémon, but also equipped us with a pokédex, pokéballs, and our first fetch quest. Tinges of pink and orange painted the clouds and the sky itself was a dusty blue. Small lights flickered on at the base of the cherry blossoms, casting a subtle glow on the stairs leading into town.

While Scum was examining the quest manager, a menu option that organized quests, I released the newly christened Poseidon from his pokéball. I was surprised to see that the turtle stood at about knee-height compared to me.

"Wow, Po, you're huge!," I gushed, as I knelt beside him and hugged him.

Poseidon seemed to appreciate the affection and touched my cheeks with his little blue hands, as if he were hugging my face.

"According to the pokédex's quest manager, Oak's parcel is located in Viridian City. Wanna head on over or explore a Pallet awhile first?," Scum asked, as he closed the menu by swiping his finger in an upward motion.

Poseidon and I looked up.

"I kinda wanna check out the town first," I mused, while Poseidon continued at paw at my face.

Without missing a beat, Scum offered his hand to help me up. Even though it was a friendly gesture, I caught myself blushing from the contact with his skin. For the briefest of moments, I had forgotten how authentic the sensation of touch felt in this game. Thankfully, he did not seem to notice.

Scum released his Charmander, who he had named Flereous, from his pokéball. The small dinosaur stretched his arms and yawned. Poseidon waddled over to Flereous and the two sniffed each other, before squealing and hugging each other. I supposed that the pokémon were already acquainted from the lab. Scum smiled at them approvingly, before he began walking down the stairs. We followed close behind.

When we were halfway down the staircase, I was about to inquire where we should explore first, when my thought was interrupted by heavy footsteps and labored breathing. A third trainer was rushing up towards us. He had black hair, pulled back in a long, thin ponytail and piercing lime green eyes. Like us, he was black clothing, but it was not the default outfit. Instead, he wore leather pants decorated with two criss-crossed studded belts, a long trench coat whose tail defied gravity, and a spiked collar around his neck - all the markings of a beta tester who had early access to the game. Scum lifted a finger and clicked on the player, revealing his name to be Blackwing.

"Blackwing?," I asked, recognizing the username. "Hey, is that you, Mi-"

Before the question could escape my lips, he was upon us. He stopped a couple of steps below us and clicked on my avatar. An expression of indiscernible shock and anger appeared on his face. Suddenly, he reached up and gripped my shoulders tightly, yelling as he began to shake me.

"What are you doing here?!," he spat.

"What do you mean?!," I yelped.

The pokémon behind me pressed themselves against my leg and growled under their breaths. Scum stepped arm-to-arm with me and gave Blackwing a death glare that sent a shiver down my spine.

"That's no way to say hello," Scum spoke. His voice sounded cordial, hiding his distaste.

Blackwing pursed his lips and furled his eyebrows at my friend, before turning back to face me. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his trenchcoat and sighed heavily, collecting himself.

"Just... log out. Trust me," Blackwing murmured, while tightening the grip he had on my right shoulder.

"Why?," I asked with a trembling voice, "I'm confused. Are you mad at me? I tried calling you earlier, bu-"

"I'm NOT mad!," he shouted with mounting irritation, "Just log out. NOW."

Admittedly, I was afraid. I had never seen him acting so aggressively before. Hesitantly, I lifted my right arm and used my pointer finger to swipe down. A menu popped up before me, displaying several options, none of which said to log out.

"Would it be under user options?," I asked, dejected. At this point, my desire to play the game had been sucked out of me.

Blackwing stomped at the ground with one of his heavy boots and ran both hands through his hair, which loosed a few strands from the ponytail.

"It's too late now."

Scum's patience ran out. He snatched Blackwing by the collar of his shirt and tugged it forward. Blackwing stood his ground, scowling.

"Too late for what? What's your problem?," he growled.

Blackwing smirked and laughed halfheartedly. He reached for a pokéball attached to his belt and released a tan, bipedal pokémon with a segmented body. Pyre barked with the aggression of a small dog, preparing to battle.

"Teleport!," Blackwing yelled. Him and his pokémon evaporated into white light.

Scum and I exchanged confused looks. Seconds later, a furious red glow erupted at the edge of the horizon, presumably from one of the islands. A pillar of smoke arose from its source, reaching into the atmosphere like the arm of an reaper.

"An... event?," I asked warily.

In the blink of eye, an aurora shot across the sky with the speed of a meteorite. Streams of color danced above us with numbers dripping from their hues. Both humans and pokémon were transfixed on its haunting beauty. The aurora itself seemed to be alive, weaving through clouds and early stars like a snake.

I watched the event transpire with mouth agape without noticing that Scum was checking his menu. He tapped on my shoulder and gestured towards his user settings. The custom settings for the FullDive - which were calibrated for the individual's tolerances while playing the game - were set to maximum and grayed-out, rendering them unable to be changed.

"Amour, if we're unable to log out and the settings were also altered, that means...," his voice trailed off and I finished the thought for him.

"...if we're hurt here, we'll feel it. It'll be more than just a minor discomfort."

Even when spoken, the reality did not truly sink in until we heard a panicked shrieking from the town below. This was no isolated incident. The players on Pokémon's Overgrowth server were now trapped in the game and it all began with an explosion on Cinnabar Island.

* * *

A/N: As of November 11, 2016, this chapter was edited to add more information about the world itself. The first incarnation of this story was written in 2002 with the premiere of Dot Hack Sign and the second was written four or five years later upon rewatching it. They say the third time is the charm and I am now pulling inspiration from several trapped in a video game anime, including Dot Hack Sign, Sword Art Online, and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. Thank you for checking out my story! New chapters will be uploaded every Monday.


	2. 01 The Cinnabar Incident

**chapter 01 :: the cinnabar incident :: scum**

Word travels fast through Kanto. Moments after what was dubbed The Cinnabar Incident occurred, players quickly discovered that they were unable to log themselves out and that their fulldive settings were edited. When one player learned this, they messaged their friends and the news spread like wild fire.

As suddenly as the sun had disappeared, it returned, completing its setting as if it had never been interrupted. Traces of the binary aurora remained in the sky, weaving through clouds and stars, as it descended into the ominous glow at the edge of the horizon. What was assumed to be fire had been subdued, though not defeated, leaving only embers and a pillar of smoke to billow into the night.

Amour and I decided to split up and gather information from other trainers in Pallet Town, before meeting up on a park bench, located between the North and West roads that branched from the fountain in the town's heart.

When I returned, Amour was sitting on the wooden bench, tossing seeds to a small flock of short, plump birds. Two were on the pavement and one perched itself on the arm of the bench, but all three were cooing happily. They were a species known as Pidgey, common in early levels of the game.

"Hey, did you find out anything?," I asked, as I took a seat beside her. One of the pidgies fluttered into my lap, begging for seed.

"Well...," Amour began, as she held out a handful of seed for the bird, "Only those of us who were logged in at the time of the Cinnabar Incident were affected, so trainers who weren't are still able to come and go as they please. According to one trainer I spoke to, the incident is already being reported on the news and the cause is currently unknown. How about you?"

I scratched the back of the pidgey's head and it nestled into my hand. I smiled briefly, as I answered her, "I spoke to the player who screamed. Her name was Cherry Bomb. According to her, her in-game alarm went off to tell her it was time to pick up her fiancé from work, but... I couldn't get much information out of her beyond that."

I sighed. The uncertainty of our predicament weighed heavily upon me.

"...but," I continued, "I did escort her to a Pokémon Center so she could calm down. While I did, I learned that there are no NPCs in this game. Their characters were run by multiple accounts and would seamlessly allow one person to log in and out without us ever noticing. So, there are more people trapped than we originally thought."

The pidgey that was on the arm of the bench now hopped into Amour's lap and began pecking at the seed in her hand, which upset the one I had been petting. It chirped angrily and flapped its short wings at the intruder. With an exasperated sigh, Amour flung the seed to the pavement, where the two birds followed and began tumbling with the third pidgey who had already been eating. Despite our grim circumstances, I smiled at their greedy arguing.

"We can infer then," Amour spoke, as she folded her hands together nervously and looked at the squabbling pidgey, "That if official characters are trapped in the game, that Gamefreak will work even harder to quickly resolve the problem."

Gamefreak is the company that developed the Pokémon game for the Cerebellum. With several of their staff members at risk, Amour had a point. Though I believed that they would have worked tirelessly even for just their players.

Once the seed was entirely consumed, the birds flew away. A small ping alerted us that a quest had been completed. Since Amour and I partied together, we both got the notification.

"You...," I paused, feeling both irritation and amusement, "were doing quests? While investigating?"

"Yes," she answered, then stood up, wiping down feathers from her black shorts. "I figured, if we're going to be here awhile, we might as well get some money. We'll have to eat eventually."

I peeked over her shoulder and smiled at me. Honestly, I was amazed that she had the forethought to look out for our basic necessities in a moment when I had not considered anything beyond getting out of the world.

* * *

After turning in various quests, Amour and I decided to eat at a local café. Neither of us were hungry, but we both agreed that we needed something on our stomachs before our bodies got fatigued. By this time, it was evening and the tables had ambient lighting from a centerpiece decorated with a lantern circled by white flowers. Several trainers had already left Pallet Town, so it was only us and a few other groups left.

Upon finishing our meal, we sat in silence as we drank from warm cups of coffee. I had too many questions, but not enough answers without even an inkling of where to look for most of them. Except one, the question of Blackwing's identity, sitting across from me stirring another cube of sugar into her drink.

"I've been meaning to ask...," I began to inquire, as I took a sip from my cup. "Who is Blackwing?"

I had wanted to sound curious, but my stern disapproval was evident. She met my eyes briefly, then looked away, watching the patrons sitting inside the café.

"He's...my boyfriend," she answered, hesitantly. "He was a beta tester who was paid to play the game before release."

Her fingers tightened around her cup. I could sense there was more she wanted to say, but could not for some reason. I took another sip from my coffee, making an exaggerating slurping noise. The corner of her lip twitched up in a half-smile.

"I just... I haven't seen him much lately, between his classes, his work with the game, and my own work. I am a little disappointed that he wasn't happy to see me, but since he seemed to have a head's up about the incident...," her voice trailed off with her thoughts.

I set my now empty cup down on the wrought iron table and pondered for a moment.

"Maybe he was trying to protect you?," I offered reassuringly, "At first, I thought he was a douche for how he man-handled you, but maybe he was just in panic mode."

She nodded silently, finishing her last gulp of coffee, and smiled at me again.

"Maybe. I'm waiting for him to read his messages."

* * *

Pokémon Centers are veterinary clinics where trainers can heal their creatures for free. Other services they offer are boarding and dining at the cafeteria. We checked into the Pallet Town's Pokémon Center, a scaled down version of the ones present in other cities, located in the strip of buildings on East Street.

Our room was quaint, but adequate, complete with one bunk bed, a desk with a PC, and a nightstand with a lamp. The wallpaper was beige and the comforters were a wine red. Above the desk was a framed copy of a map of Kanto. Before The Cinnabar Incident, trainers would use these rooms to convalesce after battles or even just to rendezvous with their party in privacy. Now, the nurses opened them up for people to spend the night with no charge for the first twenty-four hours.

I sat down at the desk with the PC, while Amour pulled her long, pink hair into a ponytail for the evening. I was not tired yet and had an insatiable curiosity about the situation we were in. My first impulse, a carry over from our reality, was to look up information online, but I was disappointed to discover that the PCs were merely used as an online storage system. I sighed and swiveled around in the computer chair. Amour was sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk, wrapped up in the comforter. I could tell she was beginning to be exhausted from everything that happened today.

"Amour," I asked, as I leaned forward against the back of the chair, "You're tired, right?"

Before she could answer, she yawned, then nodded.

"Yeah...," she mumbled, "I want to do more investigating tomorrow, though, maybe on Route 1?"

I stood up and walked across the room, sitting on the floor in front of her. She looked down at me with tired, magenta eyes and offered a small smile. I felt grateful to her for the meal from earlier and had an idea to repay her.

"Would you be upset if I went out for a few more hours?," I inquired. "I know you're tired, so you don't have to come if you don't want to, but I swear I'll come back."

She shook her head and yawned again, this time louder.

"Excuse me," she said with a laugh as she held a hand in front of her mouth. "I don't mind. I think it'd be better than sitting around here, while I'm asleep."

She turned her glance up towards the door and held it there for a moment, before looking down at me.

"Promise me you'll be safe, though? With our settings altered, there's no telling what that means for us."

"I promise," I answered and held out my pinky finger. She curled hers around mine and we shook on it.

* * *

Beyond the perimeters of Pallet Town laid Route 1, the first taste of the grasslands the open world of Kanto had to offer. A dirt path wound its way through the route, eventually leading to Viridian City, but bushes, shrubs, trees, and patches of tall grass grew along the outskirts promising opportunities to battle and capture more pokémon. A few feet into the route, I stepped off the path and into a thicket of knee-high grass. In the quiet of the night, I could hear the rustling of the creatures trying to stay hidden from me and followed their echoed sounds as best as I could.

 _Skreeeeeeee!_

Startled, I jumped back and noticed I had stepped on the tail of a purple rat. It stood about a foot tall and had long teeth and a single cream-colored whisker on each side of its face. The creature sat on its haunches, rubbing its tail with two paws, while leering at me with a glint in its red eyes. I knelt down, feeling bad for harming the creature, when it leapt directly at my face with a scream.

I fell backwards, hitting the ground, as the rat clawed at my face. Each scratch stung and I wondered if I was bleeding. While keeping my eyes closed to avoid damaging them, I fumbled around my belt for Pyre's pokéball. Finally, I felt its cool surface and pushed the release button. It seemed to take a moment for Pyre to comprehend what was happening, but when he did, he grabbed the Rattata with his teeth and tore it off of me. The rat howled as it hit the ground with a thud, before engaging in battle with my Charmander. Quickly, I wiped dirt, sweat, and blood from my face and scrambled to my feet.

According to the pokédex, Charmander only knew basic commands at this point, but did not seem to need any instructions on how to battle. While the Rattata was tough, it was not invincible. After swapping scratches, Pyre defeated it in battle. The Rattata lay unmoving and Pyre sat his clawed-foot across its back triumphantly, before it vanished from sight. Not only did Pyre's experience grow, but so did my inventory, since wild defeated pokémon drop items.

"Way to go, buddy," I praised, though still shocked from the attack I had faced. I could tell this was going to be a long night.

* * *

The next morning, I walked back into the room to see Amour ready and waiting on me. I groaned, exhausted, when she ran up to me and touched the scratches on my face.

"Wh-what happened to you?!," she yelled.

I winced, both at the words and her touch. "I... spent the night training."

She put both hands on her hips and shot me a dirty look.

"I thought I told you to be careful," she scolded, half-jokingly.

I grinned and ran a hand through my hair sheepishly. "I wanted to level up before we set out together this morning."

"Why?," she asked, guiding me to the swivel chair in front of the desk. I sat down, relieved to get off my feet.

"You took care of us yesterday when you took on quests, so we could eat," I explained, turning the chair towards the desk, so I could lay my head on my arms. "I'm grateful. So I decided to help out too by leveling up, since I couldn't sleep."

Judging from her expression, she seemed humbled. Her eyes widened and she smiled. "Thank you, Scum. I can't imagine what battling is like yet, but it must be tough. Is there anything you need?"

Without sitting up, I shook my head from side-to-side and yawned. "All I need is a little sleep."

She giggled and reached down, pulling at my right arm, offering to help me up.

"Then, at least let me get you to bed. You'll be stiff if you sleep there."

Amour allowed me to sleep in the bottom bunk where she had rested the night before, since I was too tired to climb to the top. Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was sleep. The last thing I remembered was feeling the blanket pulled over me and thinking to myself that her smell on my pillow was comforting.

* * *

A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that read my first chapter! I hope you'll stay with me. Also, who else is stoked for Sun and Moon version? If you've preordered or plan on buying a copy, sound off in the comment about which version you picked and who your starter will be!


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